The Strictly Low Histamine Diet

Menu

Month: March 2016

Wrong diagnosis can cause suffering

Even in the 21st century, many doctors fail to acknowledge histamine intolerance (HIT) as a possible cause of a patient’s symptoms, or even to recognize it as a disease. This may be because they simply do not know about HIT, or it may be because the symptoms of HIT are so varied and fluctuating that the disease is hard to diagnose, or – in the worst case – it may be that they are simply turning a blind eye to it.

Would anyone in the trusted medical profession really do such a thing?

Let’s take a look at some diseases that have recently hit the headlines in Australia for being overlooked/denied – to the extent that people are going through extraordinary suffering without proper treatment, merely because their doctors do not acknowledge that their disease exists in that country. These are Lyme Disease, caused by a bacterium spread through the bite of infected ticks, and Lyme-like disease, caused by an unknown bacterium.

“Why is Lyme disease controversial?
“There is considerable controversy within the medical profession, both nationally and internationally, in nearly all aspects of Lyme disease. Despite rapidly growing numbers of Australians being diagnosed with Lyme, the prevailing viewpoint within the Australian medical community is that “there is no evidence of Lyme disease in Australia.”

“Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which is carried by ticks. It causes flu-like symptoms with associated fatigue, muscle pain and various neurological symptoms. It also causes a bulls-eye rash to develop around the site of the tick bite.

“The bacteria (sic) has not been identified in any tick in Australia, but many people have nonetheless been diagnosed with Lyme disease or Lyme-like illness, based on their symptoms. The diagnosis is often complemented with laboratory tests from Australian and overseas laboratories.

“The controversy about the disease arose because the official position is that Borrelia burgdorferii doesn’t exist in Australia, and that positive lab tests are from people acquiring infection outside the country or the tests are false positives. The net result was that doctors were unwilling to give the diagnosis, often despite positive lab results, and prescribe the necessary antibiotic treatment.”

If modern medical professionals in a developed country are unwilling to give a diagnosis in spite of symptoms staring them in the face, simply because a disease is not yet officially acknowledged, is it any wonder they are often unwilling to diagnose HIT?

Breaking News

Note: The team behind “Is Food Making You Sick? The Strictly Low-histamine Diet” is always updating the book to reflect the latest scientific research. Look for the 2017 edition. The date is printed on the front cover and on the title page.

Flaxseeds (the 2014 and 2015 editions) are no longer listed as suitable for people with histamine intolerance.

Despite still being listed as “well-tolerated” by the Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) and other reputable sources, coconut is no longer recommended for HIT sufferers. It has been added to the “foods to avoid” list in the book. Recipes in the 2017 edition have been revised accordingly.

The Strictly Low Histamine Diet is just that – strict. Our aim is to exclude any foods that possess even a minimal chance of aggravating the condition.